Chương 73: 073

"Fuck!" I spat, clutching my shoulder as pain flared white-hot. Dura surged away from the edge and set me down, axe already in hand as she spun back toward the pit.

"What? Is it already back?" I shook my head, jaw tight, and looked to Time.

"I dropped the staff when I clocked it." Guilt tore through me. That staff belonged to his sister. We were supposed to return it, not hurl it into a shadow-choked abyss where no one would ever retrieve it! Time was at my side in a blur, his hand lifting. I flinched on instinct, bracing for a blow. He stilled, hand hovering over my shoulder. Something like anguished understanding flickered across his features before he mastered it, smoothing his expression into calm.

"It is only a staff," he said quietly.

"A rare one, yes, but an item nonetheless. Its previous owner would not want anyone to die for its sake." He gently took my arm, guiding me toward the trees, his sharp gaze flicking back to the ledge.

"More importantly, we must give the others room. You are too wounded to fight." I drew breath to argue, but Dura cut me off. Her back was to us, axe ready, Henry and Dominicus flanking her.

"Don't even think about it." She glanced over her shoulder, her glare cold enough to stop my lungs mid-breath.

"You're out of mana and covered in more moss than skin. You can't heal yourself from another hit so you're going to sit that fine ass down and rest." I hesitated. Her eyes narrowed.

"I will turn around and knock you out if you make me." Seeing the battle already lost, I sighed and lifted my hands.

"Fine." She nodded once, victory flashing across her face before she turned back to the edge.

"It's climbing again." Everyone tensed as the sound of claws on stone echoed upward, closer with every second. Time's grip lingered on my arm, and I thought, knowing he could hear me. I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd drop it when I swung. He shook his head, exasperation plain. Only you would apologize for dropping a staff while desperately defending your life. Then, softer: As I said before—its owner would not want you dead for its return. Let it go. Easier said than done.

I forced the guilt aside and focused on the ledge.

"Henry—don't let it see you looking at it. That's when it locked onto me and Dura." Henry frowned.

"A creature that enters a frenzy when it meets another's gaze…" He hesitated.

"What kind of monster does that?" I glanced at Time. Any ideas? His lips pressed into a thin line, eyes never leaving the edge. No—but those shadows are not natural. They were born of Shadow's grief. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Old pain tightened his expression. My grief carved this canyon from stone. Karma's drove it deeper—nearly to the dwarves' city below. It is… not impossible that Shadow's grief created new monsters. Ones with unique traits.

A chill crept down my spine as I remembered the flash of movement between the ice-like shards in the spiral. There's more than one down there. At least two. Time grimaced. Surprising. Usually monsters such as this would decimate any others for dominance or food. Unless… they learned to coexist. That thought sat like a stone in my gut. The spiral's divided, I thought. Three sections. Four, if you count the shield at the bottom. Do you think there's a monster in each one? Like separate habitats? Possibly.

His gaze drifted. This must be discussed with Shadow and Light. These shadows cannot be left to linger. Assuming it is possible to dispel them. Nothing had managed yet. The crunch of stone snapped me back as the sound reached the edge.

"If it's been here all this time," I muttered, "why hasn't it climbed out to attack people? It clearly can." It climbed faster than I could run. Time lifted his chin.

"A good question. Given this monster's home is within the spirit of Shadow's grief stricken power, I would assume–" The monster lunged over the edge, shrieking, only to slam into an invisible wall. Time finished calmly, "that it cannot leave Shadow's domain." The creature shrieked again, claws scrabbling uselessly. Its form glitched, splitting into distorted copies before snapping back together as it slid downward. Dura tightened her grip on her axe.

"Should we kill it? Make sure it can't hurt anyone else?" Henry considered it, but before he could answer, I did.

"It doesn't have hit points." All eyes swung to me and Henry's mouth fell open.

"It–What?! That's not possible!" I watched the creature lunge at the barrier, catching itself on the rock below and throwing its weight forward again, to no avail. I stared it down, refusing to look away.

"Analyze it." A beat passed, then Dura cursed.

"The fuck is that?!" For once, Henry didn't mention the language. His face drew tight, all color leeching out of it as he shook his head.

"No hit points. No menu at all. Even looking at it is giving me a headache." Dura looked away.

"Guess killing it's off the table." Time studied it, then stiffened.

"Then we leave. It cannot attack us, but other monsters can. Nikolas needs rest." His voice darkened.

"And I have no desire to remain near that thing." His tone turned grim, as if someone just walked over his grave, and I gripped his arm. You've seen that before? Not the monster, but the weird shit its menu was doing. A pause. Then the barest nod. Once. And blessedly only once. It is from a time long passed, when undead rose again and roamed freely, killing those closest to them in life. That is all I will say on the matter. So zombies had been a thing at one point. That was… great.

Exhaustion dogged me, carving the edges of my vision into a dark tunnel. I teetered in place, only for an arm to snatch me before I could topple. Time's face broke through the dark, pinched and stern. His eyes though… Concern flashed in them, breaking the mask.

"Nikolas? Are you well?" His voice sounded distant, warped. It took several seconds longer than it should have to penetrate, but when the words sank in, I snorted.

"Well might be generous. Alive's closer." Wow, did I always sound so slurred? Time's concern deepened, before the darkness swallowed him entirely. Exhaustion surged up, cocooning me into the tightest, most comforting sleep I'd ever had. Just before I drifted off, Dura's voice cut through the air, strained and harsh.

"Nikolas!" A second set of arms came, grasping my other side. Only then did I realize I'd been falling. Wow, I really must need sleep. Well, no better time…